Chris Jones may have expressed interest in the team’s vacant head coaching job, but Sportsnet’s Arash Madani doesn’t see him as a fit in Edmonton.
“I don’t see that happening at all,” Madani said on 620 CKRM’s The SportsCage. “I have a hard time believing Brock Sunderland would answer Chris Jones’ phone call, let alone interview him, let alone hire him.
“There is nothing to gain for Brock Sunderland, the general manager, to bring Chris Jones in because suddenly Brock’s looking over his shoulder. They are not going to be on the same page on personnel. Chris likes his own style of player — he’s about team speed.”
The Edmonton Football Team is without a head coach following the resignation of Scott Milanovich. The three-time Grey Cup champion was hired in December 2019 following a three-year stint as the quarterbacks coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“If you didn’t want Scott Milanovich to go to the NFL, maybe you should have written your contract differently to not allow an out clause for him to go,” said Madani. “You just paid Scott Milanovich $600,000 and he didn’t even step foot in Edmonton and coach one game.”
Bringing in Jones would have a ripple effect on the coaching staff and personnel that Edmonton already has in place. Hiring veteran assistant coach Jaime Elizondo — who worked with Trevor Harris in Ottawa — to replace Milanovich would allow for a much smoother transition for the Green and Gold.
“Brock Sunderland is going to run his football team the way he sees fit. I would be very surprised if Jaime Elizondo is not the next head coach of the Edmonton Football Team. Chris Jones would want to bring his own staff, he’s not going to keep Noel Thorpe around as defensive coordinator. Chris runs the defence, Chris wants to run personnel,” said Madani.
“You have Elizondo, he will play well with others in the sandbox, and that is exactly the type of coach that Brock Sunderland wants.”
Chris Jones expresses interest in Edmonton’s head coaching job
